North  Carolina  Women  in 
the  World  War 
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AN  ADDRESS 

By  ARCHIBALD  HENDERSON,  M.A.r  Ph.D.,  D.C.L. 
of  the  University  of  North  Carolina 


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Delivered  before  the  North  Carolina  Literary  and  Historical  Association  at  its 

Nineteenth  Annual  Session,  held  at  Raleigh 

November  20-21,  1920 


(Reprint,   1920,   North  Carolina  Literary  and  Historical  Association) 


,-.  a— 


North  Carolina  Women  in  the  World  War 

By  Archibald  Henderson,  M.A.,  Ph.D.,  D.C.L. 

of  the  University  of  North  Carolina 

When  the  Secretary  of  War  called  upon  the  women  of  America  to 
do  their  part  in  winning  the  war,  Dr.  Anna  Howard  Shaw  asked  Mr. 
Baker  what  he  expected  the  woman's  committee  to  do.  "We  want  you 
to  co-ordinate  the  woman's  work  of  the  United  States,"  said  Mr. 
Baker,  "all  the  war  work  of  the  women,  so  that  they  will  not  duplicate, 
they  will  not  overlap  and  they  will  co-operate  in  carrying  out  every 
requirement  of  the  government."  Perhaps  Mr.  Baker  feared  that  it 
would  he  impossible  to  get  women  to  co-operate ;  so  Dr.  Shaw  promptly 
replied : 

"Mr.  Secretary,  you  seem  to  think  that  the  women  will  not  co-operate ; 
that  is  because  you  have  been  dealing  with  men.  If  you  will  give  them 
4an  object  big  enough  and  put  back  of  them  an  incentive  strong  enough, 
you  will  find  that  the  women  of  this  country  will  co-operate,  Mr.  Secre- 
tary." 

Today  it  is  recognized,  not  only  that  the  women  fully  maintained 
their  pledge  of  co-operation  from  the  war's  beginning  to  its  end,  but 
also,  as  Dr.  Shaw  says,  none  too  strongly,  that  the  war  could  never 
have  been  won  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  work  of  the  women.  Cer- 
tainly it  is  true  that  the  women  of  this  country  suffered  no  such  hard- 
ships, bore  no  such  burdens,  as  were  imposed  by  dire  necessity  upon 
the  women  of  many  other  countries.  But  their  readiness  to  serve  to 
any  extent  was  absolute;  and  within  the  limits  of  the  situation,  they 
gave  themselves  fully  and  without  stint.  The  massed  effort  of  many 
millions  of  women,  energies  bent  to  a  single  aim,  is  without  parallel 
in  history;  and  the  extent  and  magnitude  of  that  effort,  ever  growing 
in  volume  and  intensity,  were  curtailed  only  by  the  comparative  brevity 
of  the  war's  duration. 

Dr.  Anna  Howard  Shaw  was  designated  by  the  President  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Woman's  Committee,  Council  of  National  Defense;  and 
of  the  seventy-five  presidents  of  the  largest  women's  organizations  in 
the  United  States  was  formed  the  Advisory  Committee  of  the  Woman's 
Committee,  Council  of  National  Defense.  This  Woman's  Committee, 
Council  of  National  Defense,  was  then  organized  in  every  State  in  the 
Union  under  the  direction  of  the  National  Woman's  Committee.  The 
plan  proposed  and  carried  out  was  "to  co-ordinate  women's  organiza- 
>a/L^  tions  and  their  working  forces,  in  order  to  enlist  at  once  the  greatest 
£*  possible  number  in  the  service  which  the  national  crisis  demanded,  and 
^     to  supply  a  new  and  direct  channel  of  communication  and  co-operation 

k 


between  the  women  and  the  departments  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment." The  fundamental  idea  was  that  this  organization  was  to  he  a 
clearing  house  for  all  women's  war  work,  and  not  a  new  organization 
meeting  in  competition  with  other  organizations. 

The  leader  in  this  work  in  North  Carolina  was  Mrs.  Laura  Holmes 
Reilley,  of  Charlotte,  second  vice-president  of  the  General  Federation 
of  Women's  Clubs  (National),  who,  on  May  28,  1917,  received  a  com- 
mission from  the  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  appointing  her  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Council  of  Defense.  She  was  shortly  afterwards  desig- 
nated Chairman  of  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense;  and  was  the  intermediary  for  maintaining  the  closest  and 
most  friendly  relations  between  the  State  Council  and  the  Woman's 
Committee,  herself  being,  with  the  exception,  of  chairman  and  secretary, 
the  only  member  present  at  all  the  meetings  of  the  State  Council.  The 
work  was  mapped  out  on  large  and  constructive  lines,  the  division  of 
the  organization  being  effected  by  counties  and  Congressional  Districts, 
and  the  mere  enumeration  of  the  departments  indicates  the  magnitude 
and  comprehensiveness  of  the  services  rendered,  covering,  as  they  did, 
almost  every  phase  of  social  service. 

The  foremost  function  of  the  Woman's  Committee,  it  must  be  made 
plain,  was  local,  co-ordinative  and  directive.  Forces  were  set  in  motion 
in  countless  directions  and  through  innumerable  channels  for  carrying 
on  the  various  phases  of  patriotic  endeavor,  and  these  forces  made 
themselves  powerfully  felt  in  every  corner  of  the  State.  During  the 
first  thirteen  months  of  its  work  11,358  North  Carolina  women  formally 
registered  for  service,  in  consequence  of  which  many  government  posi- 
tions were  filled  and  many  women  put  in  touch  with  the  proper  authori- 
ties for  specific  war  work.  North  Carolina's  slogan  in  food  production 
was  "A  Garden  for  Every  Home  the  Year  Around" ;  and  the  food  pro- 
duction of  the  State  was  immensely  stimulated  through  this  and  other 
powerful  agencies,  being  four  times  greater  in  1917-18  than  in  the 
year  preceding.  The  work  in  food  administration  was  so  vital  and 
integral  a  factor  in  war  work  in  this  state  that  I  shall  speak  of  it  later 
in  greater  detail.  In  all  their  work  the  devoted  women  "sanctified  the 
daily  duties  by  the  spirit  of  sacrifice  and  of  patriotism."  In  these  organ- 
izations throughout  the  nation  ten  million  women  concentrated  their 
fruitful  energies  upon  the  labor  asked  for  by  the  Government,  which 
went  far  to  bring  victory  to  our  arms. 

There  was  fortunately  already  in  existence  an  organization  which 
furnished  the  readiest  outlet  and  avenue  for  woman's  sacrificial  and 
maternal  ministration  to  crusading  and  suffering  humanity.  This  was 
that  noble  and  consecrated  band,  the  American  National  Red  Cross, 


which,  judged  by  its  realities  no  less  than  by  its  ideals,  truly  deserves 
to  be  called  sublime.  With  perfect  fitness  it  has  been  called  "the  greatest 
mother  in  the  world,"  seeking  to  draw  "a  vast  net  of  mercy  through  an 
ocean  of  unspeakable  pain."  From  Belgium  and  from  France  went  up 
one  of  the  most  poignant  appeals  to  which  a  stricken  world  has  ever 
lent  ear.  It  is  estimated  that  1,250,000  people  in  Belgium  and  France 
alone  were  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  German  invasion.  During 
the  height  of  our  own  struggle,  ten  million  human  beings  looked  to  us 
for  sustenance  and  for  raiment — helplessly  hemmed  in  behind  the  brist- 
ling wall  of  German  bayonets.  Is  it  any  wonder,  then — though  wonder 
indeed  it  be! — that  with  this  clamant  appeal  added  to  the  urgent  call 
of  our  own  great  needs,  the  membership  of  the  National  Red  Cross 
leaped  within  fifteen  months  from  less  than  a  half  million  (486,194) 
to  more  than  twenty  millions  (20,468,103),  with  the  additional  member- 
ship of  eight  millions  in  the  Junior  Bed  Cross.  Of  refugee  garments, 
.hospital  supplies  and  garments,  knitted  articles  and  surgical  dressings, 
the  American  Bed  Cross  furnished  during  the  war  to  the  value  of 
upwards  of  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  American  people, 
through  this  channel,  gave  in  money  and  materials  for  the  world's 
relief  upwards  of  350  millions  of  dollars. 

The  Southern  division  of  this  great  organization,  including  women 
of  Georgia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Florida  and  Tennessee, 
contributed  a  mighty  share  in  the  total  result — producing  more  than 
ten  million  articles  (10,390,796),  valued  at  a  total  of  considerably  more 
than  three  million  dollars  (3,187,233).  In  this  connection  I  wish  to 
stress  the  impressive  demonstration,  at  once  of  women's  efficient  can- 
vassing and  of  North  Carolina's  patriotism,  afforded  by  the  Second 
Bed  Cross  War  Fund  Drive  (1918) — North  Carolina's  quota  being 
$608,500,  and  her  total  collections  $1,135,621.39— practically  double  the 
amount.  The  official  report  which  has  recently  reached  me  from  the 
Southern  Division,  Atlanta,  includes  every  finished  article  made  and 
sent  to  this  division  from  North  Carolina,  and  numbers  a  total  of 
2,339,907  articles. 

Figures,  I  must  confess,  have  always  had  a  certain  fascination  for 
me.  But  when  I  think  of  what  these  figures  represent  of  hardship 
gladly  suffered,  of  sacrifice  willingly  made,  they  become  symbolic  with 
the  vitality  of  human  greatness. 

Everywhere  throughout  North  Carolina  women  found  an  outlet  for 
patriotic  service  through  Bed  Cross  organizations  to  the  number  of  140 
Chapters,  360  Branches,  and  250  Auxiliaries.  These  raised  the  total 
sum  of  $2,052,800.94 — including  the  amounts  raised  in  the  First  ($318,- 
606.47)  and  Second  ($1,135,621.39)  Bed  Cross  Drives,  and  the  amount 


other  than  "War  Funds  collected  ($598,573.08).  No  less  patriotic  was 
the  Junior  Red  Cross,  with  its  210  Auxiliaries  and  41,667  members  in 
Worth  Carolina,  for  in  addition  to  many  other  articles  and  funds  sup- 
plied and  services  rendered,  it  contributed  a  total  of  10,229  articles  for 
hospitals  and  for  soldiers'  and  sailors'  wear. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  services  performed  by  these  chapters,  because 
of  the  immediate  needs  and  far-reaching  results,  was  the  work  of  the 
Home  Service  Sections,  which  were  organized  by  well-nigh  every  chap- 
ter in  the  State.  Only  twelve  of  the  chapters  had  trained  workers ;  the 
remainder  had  untrained,  volunteer  workers.  How  many  a  sick  or  dis- 
abled soldier,  how  many  a  despairing  wife,  how  many  a  destitute  family 
were  aided  by  these  angels  of  mercy!  Cut  these  figures  and  they  will 
bleed:  between  October  1,  1917,  and  August  1,  1919,  22,599  families 
in  North  Carolina  have  been  assisted  by  Home  Service  Sections  in 
various  ways,  and  $29,309.47  has  been  given  or  loaned  in  money  relief 
to  these  families. 

And  how  shall  I  find  words  to  tell  the  romantic  story  of  the  Canteen 
Service  in  North  Carolina  during  the  Great  War!  Where  all  towns 
were  ready  and  willing  it  seems  invidious  to  mention  those  specifically 
set  down  in  the  official  report  because  of  their  relation  to  lines  of  traffic. 
In  North  Carolina,  with  some  800  workers  engaged,  a  million  men  were 
served.  But  if  I  have  hitherto  deluged  you  with  figures  I  shall  spare 
you  now  a  catalog  of  the  tens  of  thousands  of  gallons  of  coffee,  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  sandwiches,  iced  drinks,  slices  of  cake,  packets  of  candy, 
and  bundles  of  fruits — not  to  mention  the  millions  of  cigarettes — with 
which  the  doughboys  were  deluged,  to  the  delight  of  their  hearts  and  the 
gratification  of  their  palates. 

If  time  permitted  I  would  gladly  say  something  of  the  devoted  work 
of  the  individual  chapters  of  the  Red  Cross  in  the  State.  A  word  only 
of  this  chapter  or  that  is  possible;  but  the  patriotism,  devotion  and 
service  of  all  were  alike,  and,  alike,  unquestioned.  Lieutenant  House 
will  eventually  narrate  the  full  story  and  give  due  credit  to  each  and  all. 
Permit  me  to  say,  however,  that  the  canteen  work  of  the  Raleigh  chapter 
was  probably  without  a  parallel  in  North  Carolina;  for  up  to  July  1, 
1919,  the  Raleigh  Canteen  served  255,000  American  soldiers.  The 
devoted  work  of  these  women — in  snow  and  ice,  heat  and  cold,  at  noon 
and  at  midnight — under  the  leadership  of  Mrs.  J.  J.  Bernard,  is  now 
a  part  of  North  Carolina's  history ;  and  thousands  of  soldiers  will  never 
forget  the  cheer,  the  comfort  and  the  sympathy  which  they  dispensed. 
I  cannot  refrain  from  paying  tribute  in  passing  to  the  indefatigable 
labors  and  crusading  enthusiasm  of  the  president  of  this  great  chapter, 
Mrs.  William  B.  Grimes. 


The  campaign  for  contributions  by  tobacco  growers,  engineered  by 
such  chapters  as  Goldsboro,  Reidsville  and  Pitt  County,  for  example — 
each  tobacco  grower  being  asked  to  contribute  a  pile  of  his  crop — were 
particularly  characteristic  of  this  section,  as  was  also  the  campaign  for 
cotton  which  was  carried  out  successfully  by  the  Cleveland  County 
chapter.  And  I  cannot  leave  unmentioned  the  letter  (24  Rue  Borghese, 
Neuilly,  February  12,  1916)  written  by  King  Albert's  sister,  Henriette, 
Duchess  of  Yendome,  to  some  ladies  of  Tryon,  thanking  them  "for 
the  splendid  gifts  you  have  so  generously  sent,  and  we  all  express  our 
warmest,  most  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  'Florence  Nightingale  Band.' 
Your  charity  is  helping  us  to  tend  our  poor  men — all  '-grands  blesses/ 
May  God  bless  and  reward  you  for  the  good  and  generous  help  sent  to 
our  dear  and  valiant  men."  If  time  permitted  I  would  gladly  tell  of 
the  memorable  war  work  of  the  women's  colleges  in  North  Carolina — 
of  the  State  Normal  College,  the  recognized  leader  among  North  Caro- 
lina colleges  in  organizing  and  stimulating  women's  war  work,  through 
which  more  than  400  women  passed  on  their  way  into  government 
service;  of  the  many  women's  colleges  of  Raleigh  which  were  among 
the  foremost  in  their  pledge  and  their  performance;  of  the  Greensboro 
College  for  "Women,  Salem  Academy  and  College,  and  many  others,  too 
numerous  to  enumerate. 

Certain  features  of  the  work  accomplished  by  the  women  of  North 
Carolina  are  so  conspicuous,  indeed  I  may  almost  say  spectacular,  in 
value  and  efficiency,  that  I  feel  impelled  to  speak  of  them  in  some  detail. 
I  have  already  spoken  of  the  Red  Cross  War  Fund  Drives;  but  para- 
mount even  to  these  in  importance  were  the  great  Drives  for  Liberty 
Loans  and  the  Fifth,  the  Yictory  Loan,  imperatively  needed  for  carry- 
ing on  the  work  of  the  government  itself  and  supplying  the  very  sinews 
of  war.  The  National  Woman's  Liberty  Loan  Committee,  created  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  began  its  business  as  the  first  and  only 
executive  committee  of  women  in  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 
The  organization  was  not  effected  in  time  to  do  active  work  in  the 
First  Liberty  Loan  Drive;  but  by  the  time  the  Second  Liberty  Loan 
Drive  was  launched  North  Carolina  was  ready  to  stand  side  by  side 
with  other  States  to  do  her  part.  Mrs.  R.  J.  Reynolds,  of  Winston-Salem, 
was  State  Chairman  during  the  Second  Liberty  Loan  Campaign;  and 
upon  her  resignation  immediately  thereafter,  Mrs.  R.  H.  Latham,  of 
Winston-Salem,  was  appointed  to  undertake  the  heavy  task.  Mrs. 
Latham  held  the  chairmanship  through  the  Third  and  Fourth  Drives, 
after  which  she  was  compelled  to  resign  because  of  overtaxed  eyesight. 
Mrs.  John  A.  Long,  of  Kinston,  succeeded  Mrs.  Latham  and  served 


through,  the  Victory  Loan  Drive.  The  figures  which  follow  are  eloquent 
of  the  spirit  of  North  Carolina  and  of  the  devoted  labors  of  her  women 
to  aid  the  goverment  to  full  extent  of  their  powers. 

Second  Liberty  Loan 

Total  Number  of  Subscribers 4,228 

Total  Amount  Subscribed $4,846,900 

Third  Liberty  Loan 

Total  Amount  Subscribed $7,887,750 

Amount  Subscribed  by  Women $823,100 

Fourth  Liberty  Loan 

Total  Quota $3-9,900,000 

Amount  Subscribed  Through  Women $14,129,300 

being  35  per  cent  of  the  whole. 

Fifth,  or  Victory  Loan 

Total  Number  of  Bonds  Sold 9,281 

Total  Amount  Subscribed $7,576,500 

No  figures,  however  impressive,  can  tell  the  truly  thrilling  and  touch- 
ing story  of  this  splendid  outburst  of  patriotic  fervor.  I,  personally,, 
have  known  a  farmer  of  small  means,  ordinarily  saving  to  miserliness, 
go  to  the  bank  with  face  positively  lit  as  by  an  inner  flame  and  cheer- 
fully borrow  a  thousand  dollars  on  his  little  farm  to  invest  in  War 
Savings  Stamps.  Mrs.  Long  tells  me  of  an  old  woman  who  joyously 
invested  her  entire  life-time  savings  in  a  hundred-dollar  bond,  buying 
it  with  a  thousand  dimes  unearthed  from  an  old  jug  buried  beneath  the 
floor  of  her  little  cottage.  While  it  is  true  that  the  women  were  not 
especially  organized  in  the  War  Savings  Campaigns,  we  all  know  that 
they  did  magnificent  local  work  in  personal  canvass  and  in  giving  in- 
spiration to  the  general  movement.  Says  Mr.  F.  H.  Fries,  State 
Director,  War  Savings  Campaign :  "To  the  women  of  North  Carolina 
acknowledgement  must  be  made  for  their  most  excellent  service  to  the 
War  Savings  Cause.  Club  women,  school  teachers,  home  demonstration 
agents,  housewives — they  all  fell  into  the  work  heart  and  body.  Mrs. 
Clarence  Johnson,  President  of  the  North  Carolina  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs,  was  constantly  promoting  War  Savings.  A  large  ma- 
jority of  the  War  Savings  societies  was  organized  by  women.  Thrift 
gardens  were  the  special  care  of  country  women.  During  the  June  Drive 
a    colored   woman    in   Warren    County,    a    school    teacher,   by   herself 


secured  $1,500  in  pledges.  Without  the  women's  aid  the  War  Savings 
record  of  North  Carolina  would  be  far  short  of  what  it  is." 

A  conspicuous  and  remarkable  feature  of  the  work  of  North  Carolina 
women  in  the  Great  War,  indicative  of  the  type  of  service  women  are 
most  particularly  qualified  to  render,  was  their  participation  in  War 
Camp  Community  Service.  Its  bases  were  sound  and  permanent,  for 
peace  as  well  as  for  war ;  and  were  solidly  laid  by  organizations  funda- 
mentally concerned  in  play,  outdoor  and  recreational  activities  for  the 
American  youth.  The  War  Department  Commission  on  Training 
Camp  Activities  summoned  the  Playground  and  Recreation  Association 
of  America  to  develop  and  organize  social  and  recreational  resources  in 
the  neighborhood  of  training  camps  (May  9,  1917);  and  from  this 
action  sprang  the  incomparable  War  Camp  Community  Service.  As 
Miss  Margaret  Berry,  an  efficient  laborer  in  this  service,  well  says : 
"The  insignia  of  the  organization,  the  Red  Circle,  soon  became  to  the 
service  men  of  the  army  and  navy  as  the  beacon  light  to  the  mariner, 
and  the  War  Camp  Community  Service  slogan  'Surround  the  Camp 
with  Hospitality,'  was  literally  enacted  in  more  than  600  American  com- 
munities." The  national  budget  for  the  year  ending  October  31,  1919, 
was  $15,000,000;  and  in  the  300  or  more  Red  Circle  club  houses,  some 
2,500,000  uniformed  men  were  provided  with  sleeping  accommodations 
in  1918  alone. 

In  North  Carolina,  perhaps  the  most  extraordinary,  ;prolonged  and 
unceasing  efforts  to  entertain  the  soldiers  and  to  surround  them  with 
the  influences  of  home,  were  made  at  Charlotte,  the  city  nearest  Camp 
Greene,  which  had  during  its  existence  numbers  of  soldiers  ranging  from 
two  thousand  to  sixty  thousand.  During  the  late  autumn  of  1917,  for 
example,  the  ladies  of  Charlotte  entertained  repeatedly  at  home  meals 
on  Sundays  between  3,000  and  4,000  soldiers  from  Camp  Greene.  But 
equally  devoted  and  faithful  work  was  done  at  Raleigh,  Wilmington, 
Fayetteville  and  Southport,  though  on  a  somewhat  lesser  scale  because 
of  smaller  bodies  of  soldiers  encamped  nearby;  and  the  work  of  the 
women  of  Asheville  was  of  a  peculiarly  memorable  type,  especially 
in  the  form  of  ministrations  and  gifts  to  the  sick  soldiers  at  Kenil worth, 
and  other  rest  and  recuperative  locations.  The  W.  C.  C.  S.  at  Raleigh, 
Charlotte  and  elsewhere  were  along  similar  lines — various  forms  of 
entertainment  afforded  the  soldiers :  concerts,  movies,  dances,  the  hos- 
pitality of  city  clubs,  city  churches  and  Red  Circle  Clulbs  supplying 
libraries  of  books  and  magazines  to  the  soldiers,  and  in  general  throwing 
around  the  boys  in  the  camps  the  home  atmosphere  of  fireside,  friend- 
ship and  innocent  enjoyment.  In  this  brief  survey  I  regret  that  space 
does  not  permit  me  to  take  account  of  innumerable  individual  and  cor- 


8 

porate  acts  of  hospitality,  such  as  the  gifts  of  the  ladies  of  Statesville 
to  Camp  Greene,  the  work  of  the  women  through  the  churches,  notably 
the  memorable  work  at  the  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  "first  to 
provide  for  Camp  Polk,  last  to  stop."  Particular  record  should  he 
made  of  the  fine  work  of  Miss  Mary  P.  De  Vane  as  Director  for  North 
Carolina  of  the  American  Library  Association.  In  addition  to  one 
thousand  dollars  in  money  raised  for  the  purchase  of  books,  twenty-five 
thousand  volumes  were  collected  and  distributed  to  the  soldiers  and 
sailors  in  this  country  and  abroad.  It  was  "a  wonderful  collection  of 
beautiful  books  and  a  credit  to  the  State." 

Mr.  Herbert  Hoover  asserted  again  and  again,  "Pood  will  win  the 
war."  The  story  of  the  able  work  of  the  Food  Administrator  is  a 
familiar  one  to  all  of  us;  and  in  the  Home  Demonstration  work  and 
Girls'  Clubs,  Mrs.  Jane  McKimmon  has  attracted  the  admiring  eyes 
of  the  nation  to  this  State.  Mrs.  Maude  Eadford  Warren's  glowing 
account  of  that  work,  which  appeared  in  The  Country  Gentleman, 
must  speak  in  lieu  of  any  extended  account  of  my  own.  The  magni- 
tude of  Mrs.  McKimmon's  labors  is  evidenced  by  her  report  for  1918, 
during  which  year  8,807  food  demonstrations  were  given  and  8,250 
meetings  held,  with  an  attendance  of  826,283  people.  In  the  organized 
clubs  16,663  women  and  girls  did  intensive  conservation  work,  and  as 
additional  club  workers  there  were  4,744  colored  women  organized  in 
twenty  counties.  Exclusive  of  the  unprecedented  amount  of  work  in 
the  conserving  of  foodstuffs,  vegetables  and  fruit,  carried  on  by  the  can- 
ning clubs,  there  were  132  community  canneries  in  operation  in  1918, 
with  an  approximate  output  of  357,688  cans ;  and  during  the  same  year 
a  total  of  228,903  pounds  of  fruit  and  vegetables  dried  is  reported.  I 
must  leave  to  others  to  tell  the  stirring  stories  of  home  demonstration 
work  in  the  mill  villages,  the  work  among  the  colored  people,  the  per- 
ennial campaign  for  gardens.  Of  all  the  figures  at  my  disposal  perhaps 
the  most  impressive  and  significant  are  these,  for  the  year  1917,  when 
sixty  counties  had  been  organized : 

Number  girls  reporting 14,382 

Number  cans   8,778,262 

Value  of  products $2,179,262 

Total  cost  $544,843 

Total  profits $1,634,519 

Mention  deserves  to  be  made  of  the  devoted  work  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina women  who  served  as  County  and  City  Pood  Administrators ;  and 
I  have  particularly  in  mind  Mrs.  Chamberlain  for  Wake,  Miss  Walker 
for  Scotland,  and  Mrs.  Young  for  Winston- Salem. 


Another  band  of  splendid  workers  who  rendered  valiant  service  at 
home  and  abroad  was  the  Young  Woman's  Christian  Association,  so 
enthusiastically  sponsored  and  energetically  aided  in  its  work  by  Mrs. 
Josephus  Daniels.  Of  knowledge  and  pride  to  every  North  Carolinian 
was  the  honor  paid  to  Mrs.  Thomas  W.  Bickett  in  being  chosen  one  of 
the  commissioners  sent  by  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  to  Europe  to  study  at  "The 
Front,"  the  needs  and  problems  of  the  people  during  reconstruction. 
Upon  her  return  Mrs.  Bickett  made  forceful  speeches  in  many  parts  of 
the  State,  pushing  with  extreme  activity  and  vigor  the  work  of  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  in  Worth  Carolina. 

In  connection  with  women's  work  during  the  war  I  must  not  forget 
to  mention  their  business  and  executive  work,  as  illustrated,  for  exam- 
ple, by  Miss  Harriet  Berry,  of  Chapel  Hill,  who  during  the  two  years' 
absence  of  Col.  Joseph  H.  Pratt  in  the  army,  was  acting  head  of  the 
North  Carolina  Geological  Survey,  Secretary  of  the  North  Carolina 
Good.  Roads  Association,  chairman  for  women  in  Orange  County  for 
the  four  Liberty  Loans,  and  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Women 
in  Industry,  North  Carolina  Council  of  Defense. 

It  is  too  soon  for  me,  or  for  anyone,  to  paint  in  true  colors  or  give 
in  even  measurable  exactitude,  any  account  which  would  do  justice  to 
the  blessed  and  merciful  work  of  the  nurses  who  labored  in  the  camps 
and  hospitals,  here  or  abroad,  who  went  forward  into  the  deadly  danger 
zones,  and  with  the  calmness  of  beings  from  some  higher  realm  per- 
formed their  services  of  beneficence,  their  errands  of  mercy,  to  the  ac- 
companiment of  the  cannon's  roar.  Up  to  October  1,  1918,  the  A.  R.  C. 
alone  enrolled  during  the  war  more  than  30,000  nurses,  and  more  than 
400  served  in  England,  France,  Italy,  Russia,  Greece  and  Palestine. 

Many  nurses  went  into  national  service  from  this  state;  their  names 
will  forever  constitute  an  especial  roll  of  honor.  Two  medical  units 
of  special  service  and  distinction  went  from  this  state,  one  under  Dr. 
Addison  Brenizer,  of  Charlotte,  and  the  other  under  Dr.  John  Wesley 
Long,  of  Greensboro.  An  excerpt  from  the  account  of  Base  Hospital 
No.  65,  kindly  supplied  me  by  Dr.  Long,  Lieut.  Col.  M.  C,  U.  S.  A. 
(Ret.),  will  give  a  vivid  picture  of  this  splendid  type  of  service: 

"Base  Hospital  No.  65  was  organized  by  the  writer,  with  the  assistance 
of  some  other  medical  men  under  authority  granted  directly  by  the  Surgeon 
General  of  the  United  States  Army.  One  of  the  requirements  specified  by 
the  War  Department  was  that  the  personnel  be  secured  from  North  Carolina. 
Whereupon  we  enlisted  32  medical  officers,  203  enlisted  men,  and  100  nurses. 
It  required  unremitting  work  for  many  months.  Ninety  per  cent  of  the 
nurses  were  North  Carolinians,  a  few  for  certain  reasons  having  been  secured 
from  elsewhere.     They  were  all   mobilized  at  one  of  the  nurses'  bases  in 


10 

New  York  City.  They  were  then  sent  in  a  body  to  France  where  they  joined 
Base  Hospital  65  at  Kerhuon,  near  Brest,  where  it  remained  from  early  in 
September,  1918,  to  August,  1919. 

"The  work  accomplished  by  this  unit,  an  important  part  of  which  was  the 
work  done  by  the  nurses,  has  gone  down  in  the  history  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment as  one  of  unexcelled  value.     The  Hospital  handled  over  40,000  patients. 

"Directly  after  the  unit  reached  its  location  and  before  it  was  possible  to 
get  things  in  working  order  because  of  the  lack  of  conveniences,  2,200  desper- 
ately sick  patients  from  the  transports  were  sent  to  this  hospital.  At  this 
time  there  were  no  electric  lights,  only  ordinary  oil  hand-lanterns  and  flash- 
lights were  available.  There  were  no  walks  between  the  buildings,  of  which 
there  were  over  one  hundred.  The  nurses  had  to  wear  rubber  boots  and 
wade  through  rain  and  slush.  Remember  that  Secretary  Baker  said  that  it 
rained  at  Brest  330  days  in  a  year.  The  hospital  eventually  had  a  capacity 
of  4,000. 

"At  the  time  mentioned  the  buildings,  which  were  of  the  Swiss  barracks 
type,  were  being  erected.  None  of  them  were  fully  equipped;  many  of  them 
did  not  have  even  windows,  and  many  of  the  beds  did  not  have  mattresses. 
One  hundred  nurses  and  200  enlisted  men  were  of  necessity  compelled  to 
look  after  this  large  number  of  sick  and  dying  men.  Some  of  them  were 
dying  and  the  others  dead  when  they  moved  them  from  the  stretchers  upon 
which  they  came.  The  hospital  handled  wounded  men  (blesse,  as  the  French 
say),  cases  of  influenza,  pneumonia,  pleurisy,  cerebro-spinal  menengitis,  and 
insanity.  It  was  a  task  for  the  stout-hearted  and  called  for  the  best  that 
there  was  in  a  nurse  'to  be  called  upon  for  such  heroic  service  under  such 
trying  circumstances. 

"For  instance,  one  night  about  midnight  a  storm  swept  up  the  harbor 
of  Brest  striking  the  hospital,  which  was  at  the  head  of  the  harbor,  with 
full  force.  The  roof  of  one  of  the  barracks  containing  twenty-five  operative 
cases  was  lifted  off.  Out  into  the  darkness  and  rain  and  storm  the  officers, 
men  and  nurses  rushed  to  the  rescue  of  the  helpless  patients.  The  engineer 
corps  was  called  out  to  prop  up  the  sides  of  the  building  to  keep  it  from 
collapsing.  Through  this  trying  ordeal  the  nurses  never  flinched,  but  stood 
by  us  to  the  last  with  a  loyalty  and  helpful  sympathy  that  was  beyond  com- 
parison. 

'In  October,  1918,  the  Chief  Surgeon  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces 
called  upon  Base  Hospital  No.  65  for  two  operating  teams  to  be  sent  to  the 
front.  This  called  for  a  highly  trained  operating  room  nurse  for  each  team. 
For  this  important  and  hazardous  duty  I  selected  two  splendid  North  Caro- 
lina girls.  They  went  with  their  teams  as  assigned  and  spent  many  weeks 
in  active  duty  close  to  the  firing  lines  and  within  sound  of  the  big  guns." 

I  desire  to  make  mention,  at  least — though  it  deserves  extended  treat- 
ment— of  the  desperate  fight  waged  by  the  women  and  the  doctors  of  the 
state  against  the  insidious  and  deadly  "Spanish  Influenza."  I  would 
pay  immortal  tribute  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Roper,  situated  at  Chapel  Hill, 
who  at  the  height  of  the  influenza  epidemic  gave  up  a  remunerative 
position  as  trained  nurse  in  a  private  family  to  minister  to  the  Uni- 
versity boys,  making  the  supreme  sacrifice  of  her  life  for  her  country. 


11 

North  Carolina  lias  the  honor  of  having  produced  the  Great  War's 
most  famous  field  nurse,  and  after  Edith  Cavell,  I  (believe,  the  nurse 
most  celebrated  in  the  despatches  and  stories  of  the  war  from  its  outset. 
This  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  S.  Westray  Battle,  of  Asheville,  Madelon, 
who  was  affectionately  called  "Glory"  'by  her  English  friends,  because 
of  her  pride  of  America;  they  declared  she  was  always  "waving 
Old  Glory." 

At  the  very  beginning  of  the  conflict  in  1914  she  offered  her  services 
"for  the  duration  of  the  war" ;  and  while  her  husband,  Colonel  Han- 
cock, was  serving  under  Field  Marshal  Sir  Douglas  Haig,  with  the 
British  Army  in  France,  she  was  giving  untiring  and  valiant  service 
in  Belgium.  Because  of  her  wonderful  work  in  the  trenches  and  first- 
aid  dressing  stations  as  well  as  in  the  field  hospitals,  the  Belgian  soldiers 
named  her  "Sister  Glory  Hancock."  Ever  within  the  sound  of  the 
guns  and  frequently  within  their  range,  she  stood  unmoved  amid  showers 
of  falling  glass  and  splintered  roofs;  she  saw  hospital  beds  blown  to 
fragments  during  the  intense  shelling  to  which  the  Germans  subjected 
the  Belgian  towns.  This  noble  woman  who  served  under  the  British 
Red  Cross,  knew  what  it  was — so  steady  was  the  stream  of  wounded 
after  Mons  and  during  the  retreat  from  Antwerp — to  go  for  a  month 
without  having  her  clothes  off.  "Sister  Glory  Hancock"  had  the  great 
and  fully  merited  honor  of  being  decorated  by  both  King  George  of 
England  and  King  Albert  of  Belgium.  With  North  Carolina  in  the 
field  there  was  "Glory  enough  for  all" — and  all  added  to  her  glory — 
with  the  Croix  Civique,  the  Order  of  Mons,  the  Croix  de  Guerre,  and 
the  badge  of  a  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 

As  we  turn  today  to  the  heavy  tasks  of  reconstruction  and  reorgani- 
zation of  civil  life,  we  cannot  in  justice  forget  the  part  played  by  women 
as  civilians  in  the  Great  War.  And  I  look  confidently  forward  to  a  time 
in  the  near  future  when,  not  as  a  reward,  but  as  a  recognition  of  justice, 
the  women  of  North  Carolina,  and  of  America,  shall  receive  equal 
civil,  legal  and  political  rights  with  their  partners,  men,  in  the  great 
business  of  making  the  world  a  better  place  to  live  in. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00032771947 

FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


